In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date: part of common general knowledge, or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
Alkaloids
There is a long history of the use of alkaloids for medicine. These compounds were originally extracted from plants and include nitrogenous compounds having physiological actions on humans as drugs and poisons. The term “alkaloids” as used in this description and in the claims includes all natural and synthetic active compounds containing primary, secondary or tertiary amine substituents. The amine may be incorporated into one or two rings, but non-cyclic structures are also included. For example, this includes:—                tertiary amines which:—                    are alicyclic with the nitrogen atom as a common member of three rings (eg. Morphine, Atropine, Quinine); or            are cyclic where the nitrogen is incorporated into a single ring and alkylated (eg. Nicotine, Fenspiride); or            have no cyclic structure incorporating the nitrogen (eg. Flurazepan);            secondary amines where the nitrogen is incorporated into an alicyclic structure (eg Conline, Fendiline) or a linear structure (eg. Epinephrine);            primary amines (eg. Ephidrine);            pyridines (eg Nicotine);            methamidine derivatives;            quinolines (eg. Cinchonine); and            guanidines (eg. Arginine).                        
Most alkaloids are not water soluble but are soluble in organic solvents. However, all alkaloids are basic and will combine with acids to form crystalline salts which are usually at least partially water soluble. Typically, alkaloids are administered as salts either orally or by intravenous injection. The alkaloids are a class of drugs that are not commonly administered transdermally because the hydrophilic nature of the salts usually limits transdermal transport. Morphine and atropine are examples of clinically useful alkaloids that are not administered transdermally. Further, it is desirable to improve oral delivery of alkaloids since some of them are thought to act through the lymphatic system.
Topical Administration
Topical administration refers to the application of a drug directly to a part of the body and includes transdermal administration (application to the skin) and buccal administration (application to the inside of the mouth).
The skin is the largest organ of the body and functions to protect the internal organs from external chemical, physical and pathological hazards. Normal skin is divided into three layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. The outer cornified layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum, possesses properties of strength, flexibility, high electrical impedance and dryness that retards penetration and proliferation of micro-organisms. The stratum corneum is also the principle barrier to transdermal drug absorption.
The art of transdermal delivery includes the application of drugs in the pure state or as formulations which typically include substances that enhance the rate of transport through the skin. Historically transdermal delivery was as ointments, creams, poultices and plasters to give effective contact with the skin. More recently, the technology has been improved by making the plaster into a “patch” which has better adhesion to the skin and improved control over the rate of transport.
Transdermal delivery has been recognized to offer several potential benefits including achieving blood levels similar to those achieved by slow intravenous infusion but without the inconvenience; better control of absorption and metabolism compared to oral administration; continuity of drug effect especially of drugs with short half lives; equivalent efficacy with reduced drug dosage due to by-pass of hepatic first pass elimination; lower risk of under or overdosing; and better patient compliance through simplification of a dosage regime.
Not every drug can be administered transdermally at a rate sufficiently high enough to achieve blood levels that are therapeutically beneficial for systemic medication. Drugs with similar molecular weights and sizes for example may absorb across the skin at different rates. Skin enhancers and various formulation techniques have been developed to improve drug absorption through the skin. But concern has been raised with respect to long term risk because increased drug permeability is achieved at the cost of damaging a fundamentally important protective layer of the skin.
Current strategies to improve transdermal therapy have not been universally successful and there is scope for further improvement. In particular, there is a need for use of transdermal delivery systems capable of delivering alkaloids.
There has also been increased interest in buccal delivery since this method of delivery avoids metabolism by the liver which can be a problem when drugs are administered orally. Typically, the drug is formulated in a lozenge which is placed under the tongue. The lining of the mouth does not have an equivalent of the stratum corneum on the skin so it is not as difficult to administer drugs by buccal delivery, but this method of administration is not commonly used because the rate of transport may be low, achieving an ineffective result if the buccal membranes do not allow permeation or active transport. Efforts have been made in the past to improve the topical administration of drugs. For example, international patent application no PCT/AU03/00998 discloses a carrier for pharmaceuticals wherein the carrier comprises a complex of a phosphate derivative of a pharmaceutically acceptable compound, for example, laurylaminodipropionic acid tocopheryl phosphates. PCT/AU03/00998 discloses that the tocopheryl phosphate is complexed to a complexing agent selected from the group consisting of amphoteric surfactants, cationic surfactants, amino acids having nitrogen functional groups and proteins rich in these amino acids. This carrier has been shown to improve the topical administration of testosterone, estrogen, atropine and morphine. However, in relation to morphine and atropine, further improvement in skin penetration was desired.
Oral Administration
Many drugs are administered orally, but a large number of potentially useful drugs are rejected because they are unable to pass through the intestinal walls. It is understood that substances such as fats are efficiently transported through the intestines, but many others such as tocopherol are poorly transported. There is thus a need for systems which enable improved oral administration of alkaloids.